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HALLOWEEN CAKE
BACK
Heavy with fresh autumnal fruits, its mellow flavour and moist texture contrasts with a crust of burnished nuts and fruit.
The method makes use of very fine, easy-to-mix 'cake' flour which makes a velvety, fine textured sponge without the labour of lengthy creaming.
INGREDIENTS
250g (8oz) fine self-raising, cake flour
250g (8oz) butter
4 medium eggs
3 tablespoons milk
1kg (21bs) fresh ripe autumn fruits peeled and chopped roughly into one-inch chunks (apples, pears and plums etc)
50g (2oz) hazelnuts or walnuts
50g (2oz) undyed glace cherries
1 eating apple sliced thinly
Topping:
2 egg yolks
50g (2oz) softened unsalted butter
2 dessertspoons honey
METHOD
Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 180C/350F. Line a 20-23cm/8-9in round or square cake tin. Wrap charms (button, thimble, coins, horseshoe, wishbone) tightly in greaseproof paper.
To aerate the flour and sugar, sift both into a bowl and whisk with an electric beater for about 30 seconds. Soften the butter slightly, but do not melt (20-30 seconds in the microwave).
Whisk the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Put the butter and three-quarters of the egg and milk mixture into the flour. Beat for about 60 seconds, to aerate and build up the structure of the cake. Add the rest of the egg mixture and beat for another 20 seconds. Dust fruit with flour to prevent it sinking. Add the fruit and charms and mix through.
Pour into the cake tin. Cover the top with hazelnuts/ walnuts, cherries and sliced apple and bake for 60-90 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.
For the top:
Fifteen minutes before the end of the baking time, mix the butter, yolks and honey to a runny paste, remove the cake from the oven, and spread over the cake. Return to the oven to set the crust. It should be lightly browned. Best served warm from the oven.
SOUP | FISH | MEAT | SCONES & PANCAKES | CAKES &BISCUITS
SHORTBREAD | PUDDINGS & PASTRY | MISCELLANEOUS